[The WHO program "MONICA-psychosocial": risk of stroke and psychosocial factors (epidemiological study)]

An aim of the study was to investigate the influence of psychosocial factors on risk of stroke development during 16 years in men aged 25-64 years. Three scanning population surveys (1984, 1988, 1994) have been conducted in the frame of the WHO program "MONICA-psychosocial". Men at the age of 25-64 years, dwelling in a district of Novosibirsk city, were studied during a control period of 1984-2000. Statistical analysis was performed using SPPS-10 statistical package. Cox-proportional regression model was used for relative risk evaluation. The highest percentage of patients with stroke was found in the older group of 55-64 years. A distribution of personality anxiety level in men who survived stroke was as follows: 72.2% with high anxiety level and 27.8%-with a moderate one. The highest relative risk of stroke was observed in men with high anxiety, who related to the following groups: widowed and divorced; with primary and not-completed secondary school education; pensioners and those engaged in hard and moderate manual labor. The highest relative risk was during the first 5 years, being 6.8 times higher in subjects with higher anxiety level than in those with moderate level. For the following 10 years, relative risk was 5 times higher in men with high level of anxiety and after 16 years it was 3 times higher than in those with moderate anxiety level. The results obtained suggest that stroke most often develops at age of 55-64 years; its risk is associated with social gradient and is highest in the first 5 years. To prevent stroke, conditions reducing an impact of psychosocial factors on population are needed.